Electric vacuum cleaner

Abstract

DEPCT67 An electric vacuum cleaner equipped with LEDs that can enhance visibility. The rising amount of waste can be mitigated by this invention: an electric vacuum cleaner, which includes... The fan motor creates suction, and the suction port draws up the debris after it has been sucked in by the fan motor. As mentioned, its specific characteristic is that the suction channel incorporates a number of light sources. Firstly, and at a certain number of light sources, the same color of light is emitted among the light sources. Of these numbers, at least one light source has a different luminosity from another. Another light source of the same color;

Description

vacuum cleaner

[0001] The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner.

[0002] For example, when cleaning with a vacuum cleaner, a user visually checks the surface to be cleaned, such as a floor or shelf, and collects dust and other debris. If the visibility of the debris from the user's perspective is poor, some areas may be left uncleaned, or cleaning efficiency may be reduced by cleaning areas that are free of debris. Patent Document 1 (Patent Document 1) describes a technology for improving the visibility of debris on the surface to be cleaned. Patent Document 1 describes a vacuum cleaner that includes a suction body having a suction port for sucking in gas containing dust, and a light-emitting diode (LED) disposed in the suction body. When the vacuum cleaner is disposed in contact with the suction body or substantially parallel to the floor surface, the LED is disposed in the suction body so that the illumination range of light emitted from the LED and irradiated to the outside of the suction body extends downward from a direction substantially parallel to the floor surface.

[0003] International Publication No. 2008 / 035478

[0004] The technology described in Patent Document 1 did not take into consideration the illumination range of the LEDs on the floor surface. This resulted in the problem of the emitted light not reaching the surface being cleaned sufficiently, resulting in overlooking debris. Furthermore, when two-color LEDs (green and white) were used to illuminate the floor, the white light was found to be brighter than the green, resulting in the green light on the illuminated floor being canceled out by the white, resulting in a clear separation of the green and white colors. This situation is expected to cause users to feel uncomfortable with the blending of the two colors while cleaning, and also results in the problem of the LED light not optimizing the improvement in debris visibility. The present invention aims to provide a suction nozzle that emits and irradiates a floor surface with light that is uniform in color when illuminated with two-color LEDs (green and white).

[0005] The present invention is an electric vacuum cleaner comprising a fan motor that generates suction force and a suction body that sucks up dust sucked by the fan motor, wherein the suction body has a plurality of light sources, and among the plurality of light sources that emit light of the same color, at least one light source has a different brightness from the other light sources of the same color.

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electric vacuum cleaner suction nozzle body that can eliminate color unevenness of an LED and efficiently illuminate a floor surface with light, and an electric vacuum cleaner equipped with the same.

[0007] 14. A side view showing an example of an electric vacuum cleaner. A perspective view of the suction body when viewed from above. A front view of the suction body. A perspective view of the suction body when viewed from the bottom. A top view showing the state in which the upper case has been removed from the suction body. A perspective view showing the state in which the upper case has been removed from the suction body. A perspective view showing an LED board. A Munsell color wheel explaining the hue of the emitted light. A perspective view of the upper case. A front view of the upper case. A front view of the lens. A top view of the lens. A perspective view of the LED holder. A front view of the LED holder. A top view of the LED holder. A cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII in FIG. 14. A top view showing the state in which the upper case has been removed from the suction body. A plan view showing the back side of the upper case. A bottom view of the suction body. A cross-sectional view taken along XXXIX-XXXIX in FIG. 3.

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] 1 is a side view showing an example of a vacuum cleaner to which the suction head of this embodiment is applied. The vacuum cleaner 1000 is a cyclone type, and is configured to include a vacuum cleaner body 1, a dust case (dust collecting device) 2, and a rechargeable battery 3.

[0010] The vacuum cleaner main body 1 is configured to include a main body 10, a motor case 11, and a handle 12. An electric blower (not shown) that generates suction power is housed in the motor case 11. The handle 12 is provided with an operation switch SW for switching the suction power.

[0011] One end of the extension tube 5 is connected to a connection port of the vacuum cleaner main body 1 so as to communicate with the dust case 2 of the vacuum cleaner main body 1. The other end of the extension tube 5 is connected to the suction mouth body 400. The extension tube 5 has a ventilation passage (not shown) formed therein, and is equipped with wiring (not shown) that electrically connects the rechargeable battery 3 with an electric motor (not shown) for the brush of the suction mouth body 400. The extension tube of this embodiment is manufactured using topology optimization technology, a calculation technique that achieves light weight and strength, and as shown in the figure, the portion visible on the outside of the extension tube has an unsteady uneven shape.

[0012] The electric vacuum cleaner 1000 is not limited to the stick-type vacuum cleaner shown in the figure, but can be applied to corded or cordless electric vacuum cleaners such as handheld vacuum cleaners and canister (cylinder) vacuum cleaners.

[0013] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the suction mouth body as seen from above. As shown in Fig. 2, the suction mouth body 400 is of a power brush type in which the brush is rotated by a motor, and is configured to include a suction mouth body 20 and a joint part 30 that is rotatably connected to the suction mouth body 20.

[0014] The suction nozzle body 20 is constructed by combining a lower case 21, an upper case 22, a lens 63, and a unit cover 24. The lower case 21, the upper case 22, the lens 63, and the unit cover 24 are all formed from synthetic resin materials. For example, the lower case 21 and the upper case 22 are formed from ABS resin or the like. The lens 63 is formed from acrylic resin. The unit cover 24 is formed from a resin such as glass-filled nylon, which is harder than ABS resin. The lower case 21 also has a bumper portion 23. This bumper portion 23 is formed from an elastomer resin and is formed by double molding with the lower case 21. In this way, the unit cover 24 and the bumper portion 23, which are parts that the user is likely to come into contact with walls and the like when cleaning, are constructed from strong materials.

[0015] Figure 3 is a front view of the suction mouth body. Note that Figure 3 shows the suction mouth body 400 in the state shown in Figure 2 as viewed from the front. As shown in Figure 3, the bumper portion 23 is provided on the front side of the lower case 21 and extends in the width direction (left-right direction). The lower part of the bumper portion 23 is formed to be shorter than the width dimension of the suction mouth body 20. The right end of the upper part of the bumper portion 23 extends to the right end of the lower case 21, and the left end extends to the unit cover 24.

[0016] The suction mouth body 20 is formed such that the upper case 22 is shorter in the left-right direction (width direction) than the lower case 21. In other words, the suction mouth body 20 is configured such that a portion of the lower case 21 protrudes from the right end of the upper case 22, and the unit cover 24 protrudes from the left end of the upper case 22.

[0017] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the suction body as seen from the bottom side. As shown in Fig. 4, the suction body 400 is configured to include a rotating brush (rotating cleaning body) 40 and a bearing cover 50. Details of the bearing cover 50 will be described later.

[0018] The rotating brush 40 is disposed along the left-right direction (width direction) of the suction mouth body 20 and is rotatably supported within the brush chamber Q. The rotating brush 40 is also provided continuously from one end side to the other end side in the left-right direction of the suction mouth body 20 (the axial direction of the rotating brush 40).

[0019] The rotary brush 40 includes multiple types of brushes, such as brushes with different hardness and height, and the brushes are arranged in a spiral. The joint 30 can be connected to the extension tube 5 (see FIG. 1) for use in a stick state, or directly connected to the vacuum cleaner body 1 for use in a handheld state. The joint 30 includes a straight tube portion 31, a rotating joint portion 32, and a rotating cover 33.

[0020] Legs 25 are formed on the rear surface of the lower case 21. The legs 25 are molded integrally with the lower case 21 by resin. The legs 25 have extensions 25a, 25a extending rearward from the vicinity of both the left and right sides of the rotary joint 32, and a connecting portion 25b connecting the rear ends of the extensions 25a, and are configured to have a U-shape in a plan view. Wheels 25c are rotatably supported on the connecting portion 25b.

[0021] Additionally, the lower case 21 is provided with bristles 120 at the rear of the rotary brush 40, the bristles 120 being shaped to fit the rotary brush 40. By providing such bristles 120, dust drawn from the front by the rotary brush 40 is prevented from flying out to the rear. Additionally, the bristles 120 have a rotation axis (not shown) parallel to the rotary brush 40, and are configured to rotate in the front-to-rear direction.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a top view showing the state in which the upper case 22 has been removed from the suction body. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the state in which the upper case has been removed from the suction body. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the LED board 60, which serves as a light source. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the lower case 21 houses an LED board 60 (wiring board) on which multiple light-emitting diodes (LEDs) 61, 61 are mounted. A lens 63 fixed to the upper case 22 is positioned in front of the LED board 60 so that it covers the LED board 60 from above. As shown in FIG. 7, the LED board 60 is equipped with five LEDs, 6101G, 6102W, 6103G, 6104W, and 6015G, in order from right to left. Note that LEDs 6101G, 6103G, and 6015G emit green light, while LEDs 6102W and 6104W emit white light. That is, the LEDs are alternately arranged in the order of green, white, green, white, green from right to left in the left-right direction (width direction) of the suction body 400. In Example 1, the green and white LEDs are turned on simultaneously, and the floor surface is irradiated with light from a mixture of the multiple colors of the LEDs. The reason for selecting the green and white LEDs will be explained below.

[0023] FIG. 8 shows a Munsell color wheel (hereinafter referred to as the Munsell color wheel) that describes the hue of the light to be emitted. The Munsell color wheel is a circular Munsell color chart with a center P0. In the illustrated example, the circle has 20 hues, each divided into 20 equal parts. Symbols on the circle represent hues (synonymous with "color"), with R representing red, Y representing yellow, G representing green, B representing blue, and P representing purple. For example, if the light source emits light of an absorption color that is easily absorbed by the surface to be cleaned, the surface to be cleaned will absorb the light, making it easier for the user to see the light reflected by the dirt, and thus making it easier to locate the dirt. Therefore, for example, the LED 61 emits light of a non-similar color, which has a hue that belongs to a region of the 20 hues on the Munsell color wheel shown in FIG. 8, other than the region between the two hues adjacent to the hue corresponding to the color of the surface to be cleaned, as the absorption color light for the surface to be cleaned. Irradiating light of a dissimilar color makes it easier for the surface to absorb light, suppressing reflection and making dust more noticeable, thereby improving dust visibility. For example, for the hue C1 of the surface to be cleaned, the 20 hues adjacent to hue C1 are hue 5YR and hue 10YR. If the area between hue 5YR and hue 10YR, including hue C1, is defined as being similar to the hue C1 of the surface to be cleaned, the light source irradiates light of a dissimilar color, which is a hue belonging to the area other than the similar color. Note that when monochromatic light is irradiated, any one color from the dissimilar colors can be selected, and when multiple colors of light L are irradiated, any two or more colors can be selected.

[0024] In Example 1, multiple color LEDs, including green (5G) and white, are turned on simultaneously, and light is irradiated onto the floor surface in a state where the multiple color LEDs are mixed.

[0025] For example, if the surface to be cleaned is wooden flooring, the color of the wood is generally close to the color between yellow (5Y) and purple (5P). Therefore, if light of a hue other than the range between 5Y and 5P, specifically light of a hue between yellow-green (7.5GY) and blue (5B), is irradiated, the color difference between the dirt and the surface to be cleaned can be increased, making the dirt more noticeable. Therefore, in Example 1, a green LED is provided.

[0026] Furthermore, in this Example 1, among the multiple color LEDs 6101G (green), 6102W (white), 6103G (green), 6104W (white), and 6015G (green) from right to left, the central LED 6103G (green) passes a current that is 30% or more greater than the LEDs 6101G (green) and 6015G (green) at the ends. By increasing the brightness of the central green light and decreasing the brightness of the green light at the ends, the blending of the light irradiated onto the floor surface when simultaneously emitting light with the white LEDs 6102W (white) and 6104W (white) is improved. For this reason, the green LED 6103G is provided with a resistor with a different resistance value than the green LEDs 6101G (green) and 6015G (green).

[0027] Furthermore, a flow path portion 64 (a member forming a flow path) that constitutes a part of the flow path that communicates with the joint portion 30 is integrally formed behind the LED substrate 60 .

[0028] The lower case 21 also contains an electric motor 70 as a drive source for driving the rotating brush 40. The electric motor 70 is located at one end (left side) in the left-right direction. The lower case 21 also contains a control board 80 for controlling the rotating brush 40, located on the opposite side of the electric motor 70 in the left-right direction.

[0029] Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the upper case 22, and Fig. 10 is a front view of the upper case 22. As shown in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10, the upper case 22 holds the lens 63. The bottom surface of the upper case 22 is provided with protrusions 22a and 22b, which engage with protrusions on the lower case to secure the upper and lower cases together.

[0030] Fig. 11 shows a front view of lens 63, and Fig. 12 shows a top view of lens 63. Lens 63 has a first convex portion 63e and a second convex portion 63d on both sides, and these convex portions engage with concave portions of upper case 22 to fix lens 63 to upper case 22. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 12, lens 63 also has a third convex portion 63b and a fourth convex portion 63a on the LED side. These third convex portion 63b and fourth convex portion 63a prevent LED 61 from coming into contact with lens 63, keeping the LED and lens close to each other and preventing damage to the LED, and enabling stable assembly.

[0031] Lens 63f is a lens for green light of 6101G, 63h is a lens for green light in the center of 6103G, and 63j is a lens for the green LED on the side of 6105G. Lens 63g is a lens for white light of 6102W, and 63i is a lens for 6104w. Therefore, white light is emitted from lenses 63g and 63i, and green light is emitted from lenses 63f, 63h, and 63j.

[0032] Lenses 63g, 63i, 63f, 63h, and 63j are each formed in a conical shape such that their diameter increases from the light incident side (rear side) to the light irradiated side (front side). Lenses 63f, 63h, and 63j have different lens diameters on the light irradiated side (front side). That is, diameter D1 on the light irradiated side (front side) of lenses 63f, 63h, and 63j is larger than diameter D2 on the light irradiated side (front side) of lenses 63g and 63i (D1 > D2).

[0033] Therefore, the lens that emits white light has a lower refractive index and therefore a higher degree of light collection. On the other hand, the lens that emits green light has a smaller radius of curvature than the lens that emits white light, and therefore a higher refractive index and therefore a lower degree of light collection. In other words, lenses 63f, 63h, and 63j that emit green light have a wider angle of view than lenses 63g and 63i that emit white light.

[0034] In Example 1, lenses with different angles of view are used in combination to diffuse the green light absorbed by the surface to be cleaned and narrow the white light, improving the visibility of dust. Furthermore, as mentioned above, the brightness of the green color in the center is increased, making it easier to blend with the white color, thereby suppressing color unevenness.

[0035] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the LED holder. As shown in FIG. 13, both left and right ends 64b, 64c of the flow path portion 64 extend downward to align with the mounting hole 21a of the lower case 21. FIG. 14 is a front view of the LED holder. FIG. 15 is a top view of the LED holder. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII in FIG. 14. FIG. 16 shows a board holding portion 65b that holds the LED board 60. This board holding portion 65b is concave in cross-section and extends in the left-right direction (perpendicular to the plane of the drawing). The board holding portion 65b has a width in the front-rear direction that allows the lower portion of the LED board 60 to fit within. This allows the LED board 60 to be stably held. A restricting protrusion 65d is also formed to restrict left-right movement of the LED board 60. The rib 65c of the LED holder extends as far upward as possible within the structure, thereby firmly securing the LED board 60. The LED substrate is sandwiched and fixed between the ribs 65c and 65e, and at this time, the notches 61d and 61e of the LED substrate are structured to fit into the ribs 63f and 63g of the LED holder 62.

[0036] As shown in Figure 17, when the joint part 30 is attached to the lower case 21, the connection part 32c is connected to the flow path part 64. In addition, a gap S1 for taking in air is formed on the left side surface of the lower case 21. When the electric blower of the vacuum cleaner body 1 is driven and suction force is generated, air flows from the brush chamber Q (see Figure 4) through the joint part 30, and at the same time, outside air is taken in through the gap S1. The air taken in through the gap S1 cools the electric motor 70, and then is taken into the joint part 30 through the through-holes 32d to 32g.

[0037] Figure 18 is a plan view showing the back side of the upper case. As shown in Figure 18, recesses 22b, which serve as multiple recesses, are formed in multiple locations on the back side of the upper case 22. By forming these recesses 22b, the weight of the upper case 22 can be reduced, and the weight of the suction mouth body 400 can also be reduced. Furthermore, the recesses 22b are formed as elongated holes with a predetermined width that are long in the front-to-rear direction, and are formed at intervals in the left-to-right direction. This achieves a reduction in weight while maintaining strength against loads from above that are likely to be applied to the upper case.

[0038] Furthermore, screw bosses 22c, 22d, and 22e are formed on the rear surface of the upper case 22.

[0039] Figure 19 is a bottom view of the suction body. As shown in Figure 19, the suction body 400 is formed by fixing the lower case 21 and the upper case 22 with screws. The lower case 21 is formed with screw insertion holes (not shown) through which the screws 121a, 121b, and 121c are inserted. The screw insertion holes are formed at positions facing the screw bosses 22c, 22d, and 22e in the up-down direction.

[0040] Screws 121a, 121b, and 121c are inserted into the respective screw insertion holes from the bottom side of the lower case 21 and screwed into screw bosses 22c, 22d, and 22e of the upper case 22 for fixing.

[0041] The lower case 21 is provided with a screw fixing portion using a screw 121d for fixing the unit cover 24 to the lower case 21.

[0042] Figure 20 shows a cross section taken along line XXXIX-XXXIX in Figure 3, and as shown there, in suction body 400, lower case 21 and upper case 22 are fixed together by claw engagement in addition to the screw fastening described above. That is, claw 22t is formed at the front end edge of upper case 22, and claw 22u is formed at the rear end edge of upper case 22. A recess 21t into which claw 22t fits is formed in the top of lower case 21, and a hole 21u into which claw 22u fits is formed in the rear of lower case 21.

[0043] 1...vacuum cleaner body, 20...suction nozzle body, 21...lower case, 22...upper case

Claims

DEPCT671. An electric vacuum cleaner which is composed of a fan motor that generates suction, and a suction port that removes waste after being drawn in by the said fan motor, which is characterized by the fact that the suction port contains a number of light sources, and of the number of light sources of the same color of light emitted, among the number of light sources, at least one light source of the same color has a different brightness from the other light sources of the same color.

2. An electric vacuum cleaner specified in claim 1 which is characterized by the number of light sources of the said, which includes green and white light sources, and among the green light sources, one green light source has a higher brightness than the others.

3. An electric vacuum cleaner specified in claim 2 which is characterized by the number of green light sources being arranged in such a manner that they are fixed in the center of the number of light sources.4.The electric vacuum cleaner specified in claim 3 is characterized by a number of light sources arranged alternately of green and white, where one of the green light sources is positioned in the center.

5. Any one of the electric vacuum cleaners specified in claims 1 through 4 is characterized by a light source that is an LED.

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